I realize now that I've posted a couple of times, but haven't given my own story.
My girlfriend, Hachi, introduced me to the show. She enjoyed it quite a bit, and I generally try to at least take a look at the shows she watches to see if I can join her in watching them. I didn't get it at first. There was nothing bad about it, but I couldn't tell the characters apart and I thought the plotlines were kind of boring. After a couple more episodes, I started to find it an enjoyable break from all my other entertainment.
Here was the turning point:
[video=youtube;Ssl1RxwMWNA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ssl1RxwMWNA[/video]
I loved the episode. It was charming, and by the end, I was nearly on the floor laughing. This song, particularly, is infectious. It's also probably one of the most nuanced looks at economics I've ever seen from a children's show, even though the characters make incompetent business decisions. It also gave the major characters a chance to shine.
On the whole, it was simplistic but very well-written. I had genuine respect for the show after that. I had watched many of the previous episodes, but I hadn't really paid attention to them; I finally did, and while there were still some I didn't enjoy much (mostly the Cutie Mark Crusaders eps), on the whole the quality is very high. And why shouldn't it be? Creative Director and Executive Producer Lauren Faust is a seasoned veteran, with the Powerpuff Girls and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, other shows that succeeded beyond their demographics, on her resume.
The show is intelligently-constructed, but I don't operate with the pretense that it's unusually intelligent in themes. Character development is, for the most part, restricted to individual episodes. Its moral lessons are a cut above the standard aesops from most children's shows, but don't serve to enlighten me in any way. But here's the thing: it really does have a high standard of quality, and I think most people who give it a chance see that and at least respect it. I certainly do. And if that makes me a brony, fine.